As a parent, it feels like every few months a new fad toy comes along that our kids simply have to have. Some are kind of cool, some feel mind-boggling lame to grownups, and others are so basic you have to ask yourself, Why didn't I think of that? Enter Squishies -- the soft, squeezable toy that comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes (largely they look like cartoon versions of food). They don't do much except serve as a kid-friendly stress ball of sorts, because all you can really do with them is squish 'em.

Credit: Amazon

Nine-year-old Cara-Rose was beyond thrilled when her mom, Lisa Marie Coyle, gifted her with a hot dog-shaped Squishie for ultimately slaying a school spelling assignment. Specifically, the gift was branded as Soft’n Slo Squishies from a company called ORB.

Everything was fine and dandy in the Coyle house for about a day as the young girl happily played with her new toy. What happened next is a parent's nightmare.

According to Lisa Marie, just a day after gifting Cara-Rose with the Soft'n Slo Squishie, she woke up to the sounds of her daughter screaming in agony.

"She had been squishing it and it burst. A gunk-like liquid came out and got on to her fingers, resulting in burns," the concerned parent said in an interview with CafeMom. "She had the liquid on her about 30 seconds. I took her and immediately ran it under cold too before rushing to emergency department as blisters started to appear on her hands."

Credit: Facebook / Soft'n Slo Squishies

Upon arrival at the ER, doctors confirmed what Lisa Marie feared -- her daughter had suffered chemical burns at the hands of the squishies toy.

The situation sent the mother of four into a panic, as she considered what could have happened had her other children gotten hold of the busted toy, possibly putting it near their eyes or mouths.

For their part, Orb isn't exactly coming forward with apologies to the customer. In fact, when Sun Online reached out to the company for comment, they laid the blame solely on the child who played with the toy.

A quality assurance director told the media outlet that Soft'n Slo Squishies cannot burst if they are played with according to package directions (meaning: as long as they're only squished). The only problem is, that's exactly how Lisa Marie says her daughter was playing with the toy -- simply squishing it.